Sled Dog Appearance and Behavior:
When you look at a sled dog, you are looking at a breed of dog that has been developed to be an endurance athlete. Because of this, a sled dog is going to appear and behave a bit different than your average house dog. The first thing most people observe about a sled dog is their lean appearance. This comes about by a combination of breed conformation (body shape) and training. Sled dogs tend to be dogs of medium size and generally weigh in the 40-50 pound range. The conformation of sled dogs is typically one of a deep chest with well-developed neck and shoulder muscles. This allows for more lung capacity, better endurance, and power to pull light loads over a long distance. Most of the dogs you will see at the UP 200 will have logged hundreds of miles training prior to this race. As a result, the muscles typically are more toned and developed than what you would see on a house dog. If sled dogs were human body builders they would be described as having a lot of muscle definition. So when you look at a sled dog, what you see is an athlete conditioned to run a race over 200 miles long in a span of time less than 48 hours.
The behavior of sled dogs is going to be just a little bit different that your typical house pet. Since different breeds have had different characteristics emphasized in their development as a breed, different breeds behave differently. For instance, the Golden Retriever breed was developed for retrieving birds during hunting. As a result, Golden Retrievers love to retrieve things, like balls and sticks, and would do so all day. In the case of sled dogs, the instinct emphasized was to run and pull. So nothing is more fun to sled dogs than pulling a sled. At the start of the race, there is no mistaking their enthusiasm. Another aspect of canine behavior that is more apparent in sled dogs is the pack social interaction that takes place between all dogs living together. The sled dogs must function as a team in order to be successful. This requires the musher to be a keen observer of dog personality traits and develop a team of dogs that can work together. The musher has to have a lead dog that has the experience and intelligence to keep the sled going down the trail in the right direction. The remaining team members must be placed in the gangline where they will run the best. Some dogs prefer being on the right side, some on the left. Sometimes there are personality conflicts when two dogs are placed next to each other, so they need to be separated in the gangline to avoid fighting. Another aspect of team make up is race experience. Some dogs are veterans of numerous races so the excitement of a start is no big deal, however, some dogs are "rookies" and may look a little nervous about all the activity at the race start. Now you can appreciate the effort put forward by the musher to assemble 10 dogs that can run together as a team. The final behavior you may observe is that sled dogs know when it's time to play and when it's time to rest. So when the teams are at the checkpoint, you'll notice that the dogs have no trouble eating and then sleeping. Keep in mind, however, that it is very important to heed the old adage "Let sleeping dogs lie" and not disturb the dogs while they are resting at the checkpoints.
NUTRITION:
To keep a sled dog running not only requires proper conditioning but also proper nutrition. Like a race car needs gas to keep the engine running and oil to keep the parts moving, a sled dog needs food to keep the muscles working and water to keep the blood flowing. Energy and water are expended in large quantities during the race and must be replaced sufficiently to avoid fatigue. Sled dogs running in long distance race are reported to burn 6,000 to 8,000 kcal per day. As a reference point, for a 150 pound person to expend the same number of calories, that person would have to run for about 12 hours. To meet this energy requirement, sled dogs rely on their body energy reserves(body fat) and energy taken in as food. The sources of dietary energy available to any mammal are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Since fats contain about 2 times the energy of either proteins or carbohydrates, and since studies on canine endurance athletes have shown that fats improve endurance, a sled dog's race diet is going to contain a large percentage of fat. Anywhere from 40% up to, in extreme cases, 80% of the calories may come from fats. Now a dog needs to be conditioned to eating this amount of fat in its diet, and this level of fat intake is limited to only times of racing to avoid nutritional deficiencies. Water is perhaps the most essential of all nutrients. The body's weight is approximately two thirds water. Water is used by the body as a solvent, a transport medium, and as a lubricant. If the body's hydration status is not maintained, athletic performance is quickly impaired. The most common losses of body water in sled dogs are evaporation through the respiratory system and increased urine production. Since the only place that dogs sweat from is the pads of their feet, sled dogs must rely on water evaporation from the upper respiratory system to dissipate the heat generated by exercise. Weather greatly influences this water loss. Weather that is warm and sunny will require that additional body heat be lost, while weather that is cold and dry increases the evaporation of water from the airways. Because sled dogs are eating more and because exercise produces products the body must eliminate, sled dogs will produce up to twice the amount of urine than it normally would if it was sleeping on a couch in the house. To provide for the energy and water needs of sled dogs, mushers have developed various diets and feeding strategies. First of all, the sled dog's food is going to appear different. Most mushers will start with a manufactured complete feed, similar in appearance to most dry dog food but formulated for performance dogs, and supplement with ingredients that vary with availability where the musher lives. Examples would be fish, chicken, or beaver. To prevent food spoilage, the food may be frozen or freeze-dried. So when it becomes feeding time, you may think it looks and smells(?) like a backyard barbecue going on as the mushers mix the ingredients with water and make what amounts to a soup or gruel to feed the dogs. Offering the food as soup or gruel also provides a way for the dogs to take in fluids in a more palatable form. DOG CARE To keep the sled moving down the trail, the musher has to be aware of how each dog in the team is performing. A good musher will make sure the team members are comfortable so they will be willing to give 100%. Attention to details is essential. The harnesses must fit the dogs properly to avoid chafing and muscle strain. The feet will receive diligent attention since sore feet will make the dog unwillingly to run. Depending on snow and trail conditions, the musher may apply ointments to the bottom of the feet or put booties on the feet to prevent irritation and sores. On the trail, the musher is constantly watching how each dog is running. Each dog has to be able to pull efficiently so as not to slow the team down, so the musher will be observing for any signs that something may be bothering a dog. Sometimes it may be that a dog has a sore foot or muscle, or it may be that the dog is just tired. Whatever the case may be, if the musher feels the dog may go on to injure itself, the team will be stopped and the dog put in the sled basket for a ride to the next checkpoint, rather than risk injury. At the checkpoints, the musher and the handlers will see to the dog's needs. They'll make sure the dogs are eating and drinking. The dogs will be bedded down in straw so they can have an opportunity to rest. If conditions are cold, some dogs will have jackets or blankets to provide additional warmth. Some dogs will have wrist wraps on their front legs to keep the joints warm and supported. At this time you may notice the mushers and handlers massaging the dogs to prevent any muscle stiffness. It is during this rest period the musher will determine which dogs will continue in the race. Some dogs are dropped for physical reasons such as lameness, others may be dropped because they mentally may not want to run anymore. If the musher has any doubts about a dog's ability to run, that dog will be left at the checkpoint.
RACE VETERINARIANS:
The race veterinarian has several roles to play at a sled dog race. The most important is to serve as a veterinary medical resource to the musher and help the musher make sound decisions as far as dog care is concerned. The other role is to provide any veterinary medical care to the sled dogs for any problems that may occur during the course of the race. Members of the veterinary team are generally private practitioners who have developed a keen interest in canine sports medicine as it relates to sled dogs. Most race veterinarians are members of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association(ISDVMA), professional organization dedicated the veterinary medical needs of sled dogs. Generally the time you will most likely see the vets is at the pre-race physical exam of the dogs and at the checkpoints along the race course. At these various places, the race vets will be performing a thorough physical exam of the dogs to ascertain their fitness to compete. During the physical exam, the race vets will be checking the dogs for any lameness problems, the gums and skin will be checked to make sure the animal is well hydrated, and the heart and lungs will be listened to for any problems. Any problems that are detected will be brought to the musher's attention so a decision about the dog's care can be made.
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